New life for the Balinese Room?

The historic Balinese Room that extended 160 feet into the Gulf before Hurricane Ike violently removed every trace is on the verge of being reincarnated at the same spot on the Galveston seawall. If a daunting series of regulatory hurdles can be overcome, a wider structure built in the same architectural style will stretch over the beach.

By Photos by Karen Warren and file photos / Houston Chronicle

on March 19, 2014 8:19 PM

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

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People walk by the site of the historic Balinese Room pier on the Seawall, Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Galveston.

People walk by the site of the historic Balinese Room pier on the Seawall, Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Galveston.

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

People walk by the site of the historic Balinese Room pier on the... Photo-6043929.82284 - Beaumont Enterprise

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A sign declaring that the site of the Balinese Room pier was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on the Seawall, Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Galveston.

A sign declaring that the site of the Balinese Room pier was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on the Seawall, Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Galveston.

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

A sign declaring that the site of the Balinese Room pier was placed... Photo-6043927.82284 - Beaumont Enterprise

Galveston's Balinese Room, built in the 1920's on a pier over the Gulf of Mexico, has endured the ravages of hurricanes and fires. The former casino, seen here in 1990, has been a nightclub and dinner theater.

Galveston's Balinese Room, built in the 1920's on a pier over the Gulf of Mexico, has endured the ravages of hurricanes and fires. The former casino, seen here in 1990, has been a nightclub and dinner theater.

Photo: Steven Long, Houston Chronicle

Galveston's Balinese Room, built in the 1920's on a pier... Photo-6043931.82284 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Scott Arnold sits in the South Seas Ballroom of the Balinese Room, a Galveston landmark that he is renovating. The building, which juts into the Gulf of Mexico at 21st Street, was well-known as a site for illegal gambling in the 1940s and '50s. less

Scott Arnold sits in the South Seas Ballroom of the Balinese Room, a Galveston landmark that he is renovating. The building, which juts into the Gulf of Mexico at 21st Street, was well-known as a site for ... more

Photo: Kim Christensen, Special To The Chronicle

Scott Arnold sits in the South Seas Ballroom of the Balinese Room,... Photo-6043932.82284 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Construction workers David Moorehead, Chris Ison and Bruce Rawson, from left, clean up a section of roof on the Balinese Room Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2002 in Galveston, Texas. that was torn off during a storm Monday night. less

Construction workers David Moorehead, Chris Ison and Bruce Rawson, from left, clean up a section of roof on the Balinese Room Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2002 in Galveston, Texas. that was torn off during a storm Monday ... more

Rising surf laps at the Galveston Seawall as the historic Balinese Room juts 600 feet out over the water as the city prepares for the arrival Hurricane Ike, Friday, Sept. 12, 2008. RIGHT PHOTO: The legendary night club, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was completely destroyed by the hurricane, leaving only a few piers in the surf as remaining traces across from the street from the Galvez Hotel. less

Rising surf laps at the Galveston Seawall as the historic Balinese Room juts 600 feet out over the water as the city prepares for the arrival Hurricane Ike, Friday, Sept. 12, 2008. RIGHT PHOTO: The legendary ... more

Galveston police officers remove a safe from the rubble where the Hooters restaurant was decimated by Hurricane Ike on Seawall Blvd. Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008. The storm took out the Balinese Room, Murdock's Pier and Hooters along the seawall. "I saw the Balinese Room roll into the Murdock and Mermaid Pier and explode, literally exploded," Daryl Secteau a Galveston resident said. less

Galveston police officers remove a safe from the rubble where the Hooters restaurant was decimated by Hurricane Ike on Seawall Blvd. Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008. The storm took out the Balinese Room, Murdock's ... more

Frank Sinatra, appearing at Houston's Shamrock Hotel during Galveston's gambling heyday, dropped down to the Balinese Room on his night-off to socialize with, from left, Anthony Fertitta, Jimmy Van Heusen, and Sam Maceo. less

Frank Sinatra, appearing at Houston's Shamrock Hotel during Galveston's gambling heyday, dropped down to the Balinese Room on his night-off to socialize with, from left, Anthony Fertitta, Jimmy Van Heusen, and ... more

Lawmen smashed pinball machines, slot machines and other gambling devices in 1957 after state Attorney general Will Wilson obtained court injunctions to shut down Galveston gambling house. Thousands of machines were destroyed or dumped in Galveston Bay before the officers left. less

Lawmen smashed pinball machines, slot machines and other gambling devices in 1957 after state Attorney general Will Wilson obtained court injunctions to shut down Galveston gambling house. Thousands of machines ... more